1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a front suspension of a light vehicle and more particularly to a front suspension of a light motor vehicle having a front wheel arranged so that unfavorable effects of single support, in which the front wheel is supported with a supporting member either on the right side or on the left side thereof, can be eliminated.
2. Description of Relevant Art
In a motorcycle equipped with an engine, there is a known front suspension which is adapted to support the front wheel with a single supporting member disposed either on the right side or on the left side of the front wheel in order to provide a reduced vehicle weight, simplified assembling work and improved accessibility as compared with a commonly used front suspension, in which the front wheel is supported with a front fork both on the right and left sides thereof.
In such a single support front suspension, since the front wheel supporting member is offset to the right or left with respect to the center line of the vehicle passing through the front and rear wheel, the structure of the steering system including the supporting member is unbalanced in weight and is, therefore, liable to turn in one direction, since the structure of the steering system is pivotally joined to the body structure including the body frame. In order to ensure the rectilinear travelling capability of a motorcycle, the front wheel supporting member is disposed at a caster angle. The combined effect of the caster angle and the turning tendency of the structure of the steering system causes a torsional force to act on the body structure. Consequently, the entire vehicle is subject to an inclining action. Accordingly, in a motorcycle employing a single support type front suspension, the displacement of the center of gravity of the entire motorcycle from the center line of the entire motorcycle resulting from the offset center of gravity of the structure of the steering system is corrected by the inclination of the entire motorcycle in the balancing direction so that the motorcycle travels in an inclined position thus maintaining dynamic balance. In another motorcycle, the center of gravity of the body system is intentionally displaced taking the imbalanced weight of the structure of the steering system into consideration.
The present invention is capable of eliminating the above-described effect of unbalanced weight of the single support type front suspension for three-wheeled vehicles, not to mention two-wheeled vehicles.